Eddie Jordan isn’t buying it just yet. He knows the setting and subplots involved. He also knows it’s mid-January. And, yet, it’s first-place Washington against second-place Orlando; two possible strong contenders in the Eastern Conference, this season and beyond.
It’s a big game. To some.
“You sound like my general manager,” says the Wizards coach with a smile to one inquisitor. “Tighten the screws.”
Maybe the Wizards coach disagrees — he labels every game a big one — but logic says there’s a little more spice tonight. Washington (22-16) leads Orlando, 36-46 last season, by a half-game in the Southeast Division.
“I’m shocked at how quickly they’ve come out of the box,” Wizards forward Antawn Jamison said.
And the Wizards, struggling to reach .500 most of last season, would be the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference if the playoffs started today.
There’s also the matter of trying to distance themselves from third place, and defending NBA champion, Miami, lurking four games back and, possibly, finally healthy.
“We’re both trying to dominate and hurry up and get enough past Miami before Shaq comes back,” Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said. “We’re two young teams fighting for it.”
Of course, the Wizards will have 42 more games left in the season after tonight, including one against the Magic (22-17) in the penultimate game. They’ve split the first two meetings.
Both teams have young franchise players; Arenas and 21-year-old Dwight Howard for the Magic.
“Dwight Howard is a beast,” Wizards forward Caron Butler said.
“I see him one day being MVP of the league,” Jamison said.
Both teams have solid veteran leaders. Reston’s Grant Hill (South Lakes High) serves in that role for the Magic; Jamison, though four years younger, is the Wizards’ voice of experience. And Hill has missed only six games this season after missing at least 53 in four of the previous five seasons.
“It’s unbelievable [the difference Hill makes],” said former Magic teammate DeShawn Stevenson. “You’ve got a guy who can score and draw fouls. He’s an awesome player. When he’s healthy he brings a certain air to that team.”
Here’s another reason this game is important: In the East, five games separate the current first through eighth seeds. In the West, there’s an 11-game difference.
“It’s wide open,” Stevenson said of the East. “If we keep playing well, we’ll put ourselves in position where we have home-court advantage in the playoffs.”
As Jamison said, in a tight conference, “That will be the biggest key.”
Wiz notes
» Washington has lost four straight on the road. The Wizards’ road record (6-13) is the worst among Eastern Conference teams who are over .500. Tonight, it’s a contrast of styles as the Wizards average 107.1 points per game while Orlando averages 93.6.
» Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu and Keyon Dooling have fared well against the Wizards this season. Turkoglu has scored 38 points in two games against Washington; he’s averaging 11.2 points per game. Meanwhile, in two games against Washington, Dooling is averaging 17.5 points compared to his season average of 8.7.
» Washington’s game against Boston on Saturday was moved to an 8 p.m. tipoff.
